dissabte, 25 de juliol de 2015

The #soapbox proposal for Catalonia - English language version

Today’s
post is an English-language explanation/version of my previous one. As that was
tailored for my Catalan readers, this will be slightly different – with more
background information but less specific details. Here goes...

I’m
assuming we’re all up to date on the Catalan independence drive? Check here if not. OK? On 9 November 2014, Catalonia held a “vote” in its independence. The
Spanish government banned them from holding an official binding referendum, so
the Catalans decided to hold a non-binding simple public consultation – which the
Spanish government also decided was anti-constitutional! Over 2 million people voted,
the Catalan president then had legal action started against him, and we’re
still at the same point – the one where it’s blindingly obvious that Catalans
want to decide their own future in some kind of vote and they won’t give up
till they do so!

Hence, the Catalan
President has promised to call Catalan parliamentary elections for 27 September
2015 in the hope that these results will be a de facto referendum, giving the pro-independence parties a clear
democratic mandate to go ahead with an independence declaration independently
(excuse the pun) of what the Spanish government says.

Between the Scottish
referendum being announced and finally carried out in Scotland, though, the
Scottish people enjoyed an 18-month peaceful period of campaigning where
everyone was able to hear, and question, all the arguments in favour and
against independence. This is not the case here. So much energy and time has
been invested in just getting to where we are – being able to have a vote – or defending
and justifying this right - that it seems to many of us that the actual Yes/No
campaign has hardly started. Of course, those of us with a keen interest follow
every snippet of news, every article, every public meeting, speech, tweet, that
we see and have plenty of information – but there is a huge segment of the
population who don’t. How are we going to inform these people about what this
vote means – within the 60 days left – and answer their doubts?

I don’t
think the usual televised debates or local meetings held by pro/anti “experts”
will be seen by many people other than those who already know what they want to
vote. My proposal is to get out the old soapbox. The well-known people involved
in the indy campaign, whether they be politicians, members of the pro-indy
non-partisan bodies, celebrities and other experts, must hit the streets – and now.
Imagine three of them, one each from a different party or group showing they
are all in this together, standing on a soapbox outside the local market making
a brief (2 minute) speech and, above all, answering people’s questions. They
may get insulted, but they will also get a chance to allay the fears of the
typical “What about the pensions?” potential voter. Get a bus (or more), move
the indy folk around from town to town – three towns a day, three soapbox
meetings per town in different public squares, and so on. This would really get
the message across to those who at current are undecided or apprehensive about
the consequences of the September election.

1 comentari:

Your proposal is a good one as politics often seem very removed from ordinary people's lives. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Thank you for the translation - my blood pressure is returning to a more lethargic score.